A Less Physical Romance
by Chitanda
Summary: But if it was Mother’s will for the Receiver to stay, then Walter would just keep his complaints to himself and let her have her way. -- Walter/Henry.


The three of them have been living together for God knows how long… After finishing the Twenty-one Sacraments, Walter and his past self had moved right into room 302. Henry, a ghost like all the other Sacraments, had been wandering around 302, his respective death place. Upon finding him already there, Walter had immediately tried to kick Henry out, but had suddenly decided against it once Henry was half out the door, muttering bitterly: "If that's what you want," which made Henry wonder if it was Walter's mother that had granted him permission to stay.

Little Walter seemed ecstatic about having Henry stay with them. The little boy would always be seen clinging to Henry's leg or resting his head on the brunette ghost's lap. The two of them were inseparable. Walter could have cared less about having Henry there. Honestly, he wouldn't have liked anything better than having Henry out, but if it was Mother's will for the Receiver to stay, then Walter would just keep his complaints to himself and let her have her way.

But, slowly, Walter had found himself becoming rather _fond_ of Townshend. Maybe it was because Mother approved of him, or maybe it was because of how Henry treated his younger self. After spending enough time with the other man, and watching him enough to know all of his likes and dislikes, Walter slowly began to understand him more. And that understanding turned into admiration. Walter eventually realized how caring and kind Henry was. Even if he was in the middle of something very important, Henry would always put whatever it was down and give in to Little Walter's pleads for attention.

Whenever Walter allowed Henry outside of the room, the Receiver would always go next door and visit Reborn. In her ghostly state, Eileen's body was as it was while she and Henry had been running around Walter's worlds, only that it was completely covered in blood. Henry had apparently been the only Sacrament that remained exactly the same as he had been before his death. There were no imperfections. Had this also been Mother's will?

During his visits, Henry would always ask how she was and if she was ever in any pain. You'd think that, judging by all her wounds and scars, that she'd be hurting if only a little, but she always replied that there was no feeling. No pain, just nothingness. Henry always whispered something to her with a smile; Walter could never hear what it was he said, but it always got a blush and laugh out of Reborn. Every time, it summoned an unfamiliar feeling in Walter.

After checking up on Reborn, Henry would always go visit the rest of the victims, going down their respective numbers. When he was with Chaos, the two of them would sit down in the living room and just talk; Richard was a lot calmer in death, and easier to converse with. Once Henry had accidentally spilled his coffee on the perfect tiling, but all Richard had done was sigh.

Then Townshend would go see Watchfulness, whom was living in that weirdo Mike's apartment. The two of them weren't very close, but Henry still tried to make conversation and bring a little bit of happiness into Andrew's life. Andrew seemed to realize this, and would always try his hardest to keep up in their talks. Usually all they did was talk, but sometimes Andrew would offer to let Henry look at his paintings. Who would have thought DeSalvo would be into that?

Next came Source. The two of them, Receiver and Source, actually got along very well. Their time spent together didn't involve a lot of conversation (Jasper had actually gotten very self-conscious of his stuttering), but instead the two of them would walk the halls in complete silence (save for the horrible slurping sounds Jasper unwillingly made), just walking together in understanding. Walter wished he were on such terms with Henry.

And finally Temptation. Even as a ghost, Cynthia would still cling to Henry and try to make passes at him. Walter would watch from the shadows and wish he could have stabbed her some more times when he had the chance. Henry never rejected her, though. He realized how much her death had affected her; death had changed them all. Cynthia felt that she was hideous – her looks were all that she had during life – and Henry seemed to understand that she needed to feel that she was still attractive. That was why he never told her to quit pressing her breasts against his chest, or to quit pressing her knee against that special place between his legs. He only smiled and ignored it, and she was thankful for it.

Mother had apparently rejected the Giver of Wisdom, because he always hung out in the apartment lobby instead of in room 302, where he should have been with Henry. Walter would always glare at the Giver from the top of the stairs where the two Wisdoms couldn't see him. That man had lived inside of Mother, she had given him protection, and he had never been thankful to her. Henry had, though. Henry always made sure that Mother was clean – Joseph honestly could have cared less what condition 302 was in. The Giver had taken Mother for granted, and that was why Walter resented him so. But Henry seemed to be very fond of his Giver. The two would always have meaningful conversations. Sometimes, though, Joseph would hint that he desired the outside world. This was what made Walter especially mad. Mother had shown such kindness in letting all the Sacraments wander around safely. She had gotten rid of all the monsters inside of the building after the ritual had been completed, and she had tried so hard to make everyone comfortable in their new home, and this was how the Giver thanked her?

After Henry's first visit to Joseph, Walter had forbidden him from ever visiting the Giver again, yet Henry would still go. The visits were short and rare, but Walter knew of them.

"You like him," Little Walter said one day, completely catching his older self off-guard. Walter stared down at his younger self and tilted his head, coaxing the child to continue, which he did. "Henry. You like him a lot. I think you love him."

Walter maintained his neutral expression as he knelt beside himself. "What makes you think that?" he asked, voice baritone. "How do you know I don't love Reborn?"

"You don't love her," the child retorted, not frightened in the least. "You love Henry, I can see it. You're always angry looking whenever he goes and visits the others, and you're always staring at him when he's not looking. I see you. You don't think I do, but I do. You even smile when you hear him come back into Mom. It's obvious."

Walter smiled, trying his hardest not to laugh. He had to give his past self some credit for being able to have put all of that together, but his accusation still wasn't true. At least Walter didn't think so. "You're a smart little boy," he murmured. "Maybe you're right."

"Then why don't you tell him?"

* * *

Eventually, Walter did confess to Henry. Sullivan had been prepared for rejection, but he hadn't been prepared for Henry to accept his love. Their relationship had started off very awkwardly; their everyday lives had gone the same, but knowing their feelings for each other somehow made everything that involved being in the same room very uncomfortable for them. Even though the two of them had confessed to being in love with each other, they still never made anymore skin contact than a hand on the shoulder. Little Walter seemed to be content with their relationship though, as was Reborn. After finding out, the other Sacraments had all been wary, and for some, angry. Chaos and Temptation had both been the most offended by this, while Source and the Giver just seemed to worry for Henry's well being. Watchfulness could have cared less.

But slowly, the Sacraments became impatient. They had all eventually come to terms with the new couple, and had all agreed that it was about time the two actually did something. Time was irrelevant in death, but Chaos had one day brought up the fact that Walter and Henry had been together for more than three months and had still never so much as hugged. Nobody had questioned how he had known three months had passed, but all decided that the couple would have to do something soon. Reborn had somehow become the leader of their endeavor. Chaos had joked that it was because she was a "pervert," to which she quickly retorted that she "just wanted Henry happy." She claimed that Henry wanted to be closer to Walter, but was afraid that wasn't what Sullivan wanted. After all, Walter seemed to be the dominant one in the relationship and still hadn't made any moves.

Little Walter had overheard their discussions, as he was always hanging around Eileen when Walter and Henry were together, and had later reported it all back to his "parents." Henry had been shocked that all the other Sacraments had gotten so caught up in his love life. While Henry left for his room, red-faced, Walter sat on the couch with his younger self and began to ponder the situation. Maybe it was time that he and Henry became more "intimate," although he had never even thought of doing so before all this. Was that what Henry wanted? To do all the things that the others said had to be done? Mother wanted Henry happy, and Walter wanted whatever his mother wanted. If he could please Henry, then he could also please Mother, and in turn please himself.

That was why Walter placed a gentle kiss right on Henry's cheek the moment the bedroom door opened.


End file.
